View attachment 24754 2002 wagon, sti trans, brembos, 130k, sitting in import auto sales lot. I'm pretty sure my buddy is going to buy it today.
Before @derp tears me a new one for asking to value a car you habe never seen or drove, here is some more info. Idles rough, pulls nice, CEL is on, no dents, the normal rust spots have been sanded and amateurly painted (noticeable up close). Interior has been cleaned nicely, but is lightly stained a bit darker. Has gold brembos, rotors look almost shot. Hyperflow topmount, turbo xs bov, koyorad radiator, no name short ram intake, samco turbo inlet, aftermarket fuel lines, unknown injectors and rails. Sti scoop. Maxxim wheels, accelera alpha tires (65%ish tread life),
This one is a much safer deal i would think. https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/l-Used-Subaru-Impreza-WRX-d2233?sourceContext=google#listing=177288956 The white one could potentially be a good "parts car".
Just get a presale inspection, message is at JM auto if you want us to look it over. www.facebook.com/jmautomn www.jmautomn.com
I think it was more of a, "if you don't want to get ****ed let us tell you what is actually wrong with the car"
He ended up signing all the paperwork. His only complaint thus far is it has a "rebuilt" status title. Which conveniently didn't get mentioned until he signed the piece of paper that says he acknowledges the status of the title. In the heat of the moment of buying his first subaru he kinda said screw it. I want to drive this thing home, and just signed. I believe he paid around $7,500? Which is really good for a full 6speed swap and brembos, but a lot closer to fair when you look at all the warning signs under the hood. Once he gets it home we are planning on tearing it down to the block, putting a vf turbo on it, powdercoating some parts, and routing all the fuel/vacuum lines a little better using proper clamps. He will also want a catback exhaust if anyone has one. The ebay one on it hangs super low and has the broken mounts booger welded back on. I really hope this thing treats him well.
Max was the salesman, some guy named alkon too I think. The lot is at 394 and 100. In the golden valley area. I'm not sure if it's the same as eden imports. That's the guy with all the modded, overpriced, about to grenade subarus, right?
Are we confusing this place with elite autos or elite motors or whatever that shady stealership is? Or do these guys suck too? They have 30 or so decent reviews on google.
This has probably been covered in a previous thread, and I hate to hijack this thread, but as long as we're on the subject of shaddy stealerships....what's the story with this guy? http://www.ebay.com/itm/252982695793 http://www.ebay.com/itm/252982692056 I've seen these same vehicles on eBay multiple times. Either that, or he's got a stash JDM Imprezas for sale. Its listed as being in Wayata, but the contact phone number comes back as a "Novell Auto Group" in Eden Prairie. With the way people go nuts for JDM Subarus, I would think these cars would have multiple bids by now. Maybe im missing something??
Those vehicles are being sold without titles, designated for "off road or track use only. They are different then old dave at elite motors but similar concept. Do anything to sell cars and make money, care none about what happens 10 miles away.
Wasn't there a picture not too long ago of someone driving that white wagon backwards through a parking ramp meter to pay the ticket? After the pic was posted, people were flaming the owner/seller due to how dumb he looked and it being illegal for road use. Funny how a bunch of people in Minnesota know the history of the car so the seller has to resort to selling it on eBay.
1) Asks for advice 2) Everyone tells them stay far away 3) decides to buy car anyway bcuz "subie-brahseph" 4) does paperwork and finds out salvage title 5) still signs paperwork and pays clean low mile bugeye price for a clapped out salvage title piece of trash 6) Does sweet street races and car blows up in 100 miles 7) ??? 8) Bankruptcy/repo 9) Shady dealer profits! Just want to make sure the sheer stupidity of what happened was clear.
^^^you forgot: 10) tries to off load it in the FS thread for $500 less than what he paid! i.e. "Broke Azz Balla". That thread still cracks me up.
I motion to sticky this so long as the op promises to report what happens to the vehicle in the future.
Haha, I'll for sure keep you updated. I'm not sure if the new owner has made an account on here yet, but he said he was going to.
MNsubiez is a joke, he knows that. Why are you ripping on a guy you've never met? Let's try to make the forum a little welcoming for new members, even if they buy a fixer upper subaru.
Bring it to a reputable shop for a tune and an alignment. Should be able to uncover any hidden issues if there are any. If there aren't, then sounds like brakes, fluids, and tires and it's good to go. Hope it works out for him.
That's the game-plan! Ps, he still hasn't got his hands on the car yet. They won't release it until the address on his license matches the one on his loan or some b.s. like that.
Once again: IT'S TIME TO DROP THIS CAR. It's very doubtful he's going to end up with the gem Subaru that doesn't puke it's guts out. I really hoped that would be the case, but this thing is best left alone if your friend values his sanity and stress.
Warning: I'm on my soapbox: Has anybody actually had a good experience with buying a used Subie from a small car lot in the metro (besides JM)? I'm betting there aren't very many good experiences to speak of. I can understand the desire to pull the trigger on what appears to be a good deal, but reputable, honest, trustworthy, used car lots that sell Subarus are few and far between. It always amazes me when people do the "should I buy this car" thing. Then ignore the advice of well tenured enthusiasts, and jump head first into a car deal. Only to get burned, and end up sinking more $ into the car, than what it's worth. Most true Subaru enthusiasts take good care of their cars, and when it comes time to sell, they typically like to see their projects go to good homes, and not screw somebody over just for a sale. Bottom line, stick to private party, ask around the forums for recommendations, and do your homework. A VIN # can reveal alot about the history of the vehicle. Personally, I will be in the market for an FXT soon, and will only buy from a fellow Subaru enthusiast, no matter what kind of smokin deal some used car lot has. Just my 2 cents.
I'm sure someone, somewhere, hasn't had their too good to be true subaru not completely fail them... yet... maybe. That said, most of the cars you're referencing are auction and/or salvage cars. Which means not lots of margin for the dealership... as well as lots of margin for things that go boom. That doesn't necessarily mean steer clear, but definitely check it out thoroughly and expect that some (many?) things were overlooked or skipped. All I know is that I'd personally have a really hard time buying one unless it was a throwaway (rallyx) car or it's priced only slightly higher than the sum of it's parts.
And unfortunately were basically done selling cars ... I would spend too much time at auctions actually finding the "good" subaru's... or the ones that were of good enough value to fix and make a solid car and still have profit left over. But it came to a point where other dealers would know if I was bidding on a car that it was a good one and if I walked away then something was wrong. There are a lot of tricks and games played and I don't have the patience to keep up. Being a mechanic I would regularly walk away from a bid and watch the "other guys" bid it up and the one who would end up winning it would have it on their lot the next day and I know that they wouldn't fix whatever I found wrong. We got countless ones that needed tunes and we were able to do that, other dealers sell as is and the average consumer just drives it off the lot and beats on it. Then a couple weeks later they come into our shop and we end up fixing them... I used to see it too often, but since I don't go to auctions no more and not selling cars I can no longer predict what I'll be seeing in the near future. Those cars I passed on because I knew something they didn't and then someone bought it from them as is. It's unfortunate there aren't many good dealers out there. That's why I say just get a pre sale inspection . If they don't let you bring it to a specialist then there is something wrong. I would even let my customer bring the cars to their mechanics even though were the "specialists". Piece of mind.
^Well said. That's what sets you apart from the others. Whether you are working on the cars, or selling them, doing right by the customer pays off in the end. Now days, word of mouth, and online reviews can make or break your business. Like most consumers, I check out a business online before I give them a large chunk of $. If they have negative reviews, they don't get my business. If they get great reviews, and have a proven track record, they could have a customer for life.
Once again, the car has already been purchased. He pulled the trigger as soon as I created this thread. Unless he decides to try and off load it on to some other person for what he paid, it's going to be his problem.
So has he taken delivery of the car or not? If he hasn't, he can still back out of the deal. In fact, this is sketchy as hell... Has he handed the money over to the dealer and they haven't given him the car?
Glad someone else agree's with what I said earlier...Hope he at least paid with a check and not cash....
